Centaurea aspera L.

Spice Capitulum

Family: COMPOSITAE (ASTERACEAE)

Genus: Centaurea

Catalan common name: Bracera. Travalera.

Spanish common name: Tramaladros.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Girona. Lleida. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera. Cabrera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): West Mediterranean

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Chameophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Path and road sides.

Characteristics: A plant found in dry fields, very branched and with hard, woody stems, linear, greyish leaves with some teeth. The capitula are very characteristic because they have bracts with three to five terminal small spines sticking outwards; this feature identifies it clearly. The flowers are purple. The subspecies stenophylla, which is rare, has only 1 to 3 spines on each bract. It flowers in spring, but can bloom at almost any time of the year.